"Crimson Skies" is a flight simulation game. Set in an alternate version of the late '30s, the game combines the mission-based gameplay of MechWarrior with a high-octane combination of spectacular dogfights and an intricate plot. This text provides walkthroughs, statistics and strategies.
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21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great for Single Player and Beginning Pilots - 70% Overall,
By
This review is from: Crimson Skies : Sybex's Official Strategies & Secrets (Paperback)
This first thing I noticed about the book was the beauty of the layout and the addition of in-character content. There's also a very nice full color poster of each of the pre-rendered planes in the back of the book. The book is comprised of 4 parts as follows: Part 1: Earn Your Wings Part 2: Air Supremacy Part 3: The Adventures of Nathan Zachary Part 4: Knight of the Skies: The Multiplayer Game Part 1: Earn Your Wings Here David first discusses the various regions of the former United States of 1937 and provides an excellent desription of each of the main pilot leagues from each region. This is well done and provides the background to understanding the history behind the Crimson Skies universe and the single player missions. Flight fundamentals are covered cursorily discussing elevators, ailerons, rudders, and throttle and introducing the instrumentation and in-flight views. This section is not packed with a great deal of useful information but I think that's appropriate considering that the main focus of CS is action and not simulation. The Basic Flight Maneuvers chapter is one of the most beneficial in my opinion, covering bank turns, half-loops, high-G turns, and docking with Zeps. These skills will be used again and again while flying through the singleplayer missions and will help out in your forays into multiplayer. David explains the execution and apllication of each maneuver which will be most helpful to beginning pilots. Part 2: Air Supremacy I found this portion of the Sybex manual to be the most useful. David introduces each of the 11 planes with a short history, a pre-rendered image, and a paragraph discussing handling and loadout options. At the end of the aircraft chapter can be found two tables, one with qualitative comparisons of each planes maneuverability, strength, and speed, and the other table displays cost and maximum payload. The tables are useful for when first starting out in CS and becoming familiar with the pros and cons of each airframe. Advanced Aircraft maneuvers are expertly covered but I found this section to lack a great deal of depth. I would have expected there to be more maneuvers listed and aerial combat tactics illustrated since air combat is the main focus of the game. There is good coverage for gun and rocket selection with a description of which fire power to use for differing situations. I found the statisitcs tables for guns and rockets to be very helpful when considering how to load out my plane when going into battle. The last chapter in this part deals with aircraft design and is well done. Considerations for airframes, engines, armor, guns, and hardpoints are discussed and there's even a sample design included using the Devastator. Well done! Part 3: The Adventures of Nathan Zachary Part 3 goes over each of the 24 single player missions with an eye towards getting the reader involved with the storyline by engaging the reader in a first person diary-esque dialogue. Each mission entry is completed with mission objectives and tips to help you along your way. The coverage of the missions takes up the majority of the book and rightfully so in my opinion. There are screenshots and maps along with each mission description. When it comes right down to it, this section is the reason why you would want to buy this book. Part 4: Knight of the Skies: The Multiplayer Game If I had one serious gripe with this book then it would be centered around this last section of the guide. There's a mere 4 pages devoted to multiplayer and only a short paragraph for each of the different multiplayer missions; deathmatch, CTF, and Zep vs. Zep. Conclusion You'll probably like this book if... You're new to the Crimson Skies universe and the rudimentary aspects of dogfighting. You want to concentrate mostly on Single Player missions and like the assistance of someone that's been there before so to speak. You probably won't like this book if... You know the airframes and history inside out from your days with the pen and paper version of CS. You're looking for a comprehensive manual to improve your already modest dogfighting skills. For my own personal tastes I'd rate the Sybex Guide as follows: Background: 9/10 Flight mechanics: 6/10 Aircraft Descriptions: 6/10 Aircraft Design: 7/10 Mission guide: 9/10 Multiplayer: 2/10 Ease of use: 9/10 Layout: 8/10 Price ($20): 7/10 Overall -- 70%END
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent companion,
By Oavde "oavde" (Australia) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Crimson Skies : Sybex's Official Strategies & Secrets (Paperback)
If you like the game you really should get this book. Apart from a breakdown of all the aeroplanes and a beautiful poster of them, it shows you how to do some really excellent combat aerobatics - with illustrations and descriptions right down the the throttling e.g "use 3/4 throttle and no more or you'll risk stalling the plane" ... And tells you how to shoot at an angle to which you are travelling by sliding the plane at a 5 degree angle - which is substantially better than crashing into the slow moving zeppelin you are trying to shoot to pieces like I used to ! Now that section alone is worth the price of the book. The author, I see, is an actual experienced pilot (and perhaps fanatic!) and knows what he is talking about. It helps lift the game to a whole new level, because it will give you the technical knowledge and the base skills required to fill the boots of Nathan Zachary. I also recommend a good joystick, I use a force feedback which makes it more difficult to hold steady but hey - good! A nice touch of realism. This would make an excellent present also, anyone who likes this game would very much enjoy the book as well.
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